Angels and Daemons

John Spencer
July 1, 2010

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One of the most successful tactics I have used to guess what happens next is to follow who is going where.

I got 'ahead of the curve' once concerning the previous government's shenanigans when I predicted the imminent creation of an offshore Microsoft Azure powered G-Cloud for UK schools...which was duly dropped* in favour of a vague mixed provider option...which now has been canned altogether...I assume.

The trouble with this coalition gov is that (regarding education) although it was simple to see how they would re-shape some things given the educational background (highly competitive with hard exams) of the ministers involved, of ICT, little is revealed.

Thus, resorting to people-watching, what can be deduced?

For this post I have been mostly watching Martha lane Fox (of Lastminute.com) fame and the blonde bombshell ex-minister Ann Widdecombe. Don't laugh..serious stuff is afoot.

I have sent notes to Dan Brown already and he** came up with the following:

Chapter 1 London

It's 1997 and two figures meet in the foggy half shadows. One is the richest man in the world the other is the newly elected head of the UK Government. Within the hour the biggest secret deal in computing history was struck and the UK's Education and Public Sector IT was handed over to Microsoft Corporation.

The details of the deal are kept from all, not even Freedom of Information requests yields the slightest information. The fabulous MOU (Memorandum of Understanding) known only to the innermost sanctum and certain BECTA initiates has passed into myth.

It's whereabouts are unknown but it is believed that the then Prime Minister handed it personally to the High Pontiff of Rome himself on his sole visit to the Vatican and it now languishes deep within its vaults.

To this day no-one knows how much it was worth but 13 years later moves are afoot to free the country from its thrall.

The new Coalition Government has acted swiftly. It immediately destroyed the sinister BECTA secret society and has brought out of retirement two formidable special agents.

Chapter 2 Martha

Martha is the UK's new Digital Champion appointed personally by the new Prime Minister. She ran one of the world's most successful dot.com companies and is now pledged to bring the web to the huddled masses of the unprivileged.

Little known to the general public is her commitment to Linux...Microsoft's deadliest rival..as long ago as 2004 her CTO proclaimed that Open Source and Linux was the 'key to the Internet'.

Martha has proved a fearless agent capable of great endurance as well as reckless bravery. Dressed in a summer frock she sauntered towards the Ministry, glancing on briefly over her shoulder as she crossed into court yard.